The invention relates generally to laundry bags, and more particularly to a tote for holding and transporting laundry.
Various devices for holding and transporting laundry are well known in the art. These laundry totes, bags and/or hampers take any of a number of forms, including for example the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,608 to Branco, U.S. Pat. No. 4,773,585 to Lehrman, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,476 to Hamdan.
All of the laundry bags disclosed in the above-identified patents are designed to hold and transport laundry, for example to a Laundromat or dry cleaner. The Branco patent discloses a laundry bag which has a portable xe2x80x9champer-likexe2x80x9d configuration. The bag includes a base which allows the bag to sit in a hamper-like fashion on the floor, a zippered opening in the top to deposit laundry, a zipper on the side of the bag for removal of the laundry and transfer to a washing machine, and a strap to carry the bag. The Branco device further includes a plurality of support members which maintain the bag in the shape of the hamper during use. The support members, or rods, may be removed to launder the bag.
The Lehrman patent discloses a laundry bag which may, likewise, be used as a xe2x80x9cclothes hamperxe2x80x9d and which is suspended from a removable hanger and frame, which frames the bag opening during use as a hamper. The hanger and frame can be removed when the bag is full, and the bag includes a drawcord to permit closure of the top of the bag once the hanger is removed, in order to facilitate transport of the bag to a Laundromat, or the like. The bag may also be partitioned to separate the clothes within the bag, and may include a zippered bottom to facilitate removal of soiled laundry from the bag.
The Hamdan patent discloses a bag designed to presort laundry prior to washing. The bag preferably includes a pair of interior compartments defined by a separation panel. A closure apparatus 60, including a closure strap 66 may be provided for closing rear panel 62 over entrance aperture 20 of compartments 14 and 16. The closure panel includes an opening for hanging the bag, or a hanger can be received in loops attached to the bag for hanging. The bag also preferably includes a plurality of pockets for holding laundry related items.
While laundry bags of the aforementioned type are useful in holding and transporting laundry, they do not always do so in the most convenient or secure manner. In addition, some of the devices are relatively complex in their design both in terms of manufacture and use. Therefore, there is a continued need in the art for a laundry bag which can hold and transport laundry in a convenient manner, while being easy to use and manufacture.
It is an object of the laundry tote disclosed herein to provide a device which can be used to hold and transport laundry in a convenient manner, which is simple in both construction and use, and which securely holds laundry therein, even when full. The tote also preferably includes at least one rotatable support member for hanging the tote, if desired. The support member is rotatably supported such that they may be enclosed within the bag when not in use, and thereafter rotated to engage a support member, for example a rod. In one embodiment, the tote further includes a bottom or base, a pair of side walls, a front wall, a back wall and an opening defined by the upper edges of the walls, through which laundry is deposited and removed. In this embodiment, a pair of support members, or hangers, are supported adjacent the top edge of both the front and back walls for hanging the tote. The tote may also include a cover which can be secured over the top to prevent laundry from inadvertently falling out of the tote, and a pocket for receiving a label or the like for identification purposes.